CRM - More Than Just a Business Card

“Now, on the St. Louis team, we have Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know is on third.” – Bud Abbott
“That’s what I want to find out!” – Lou Costello


At Possibilities Unlimited, we believe that relationships are the essence of business. You have to have relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. And as your business grows, it becomes harder and harder to manage those relationships, and keep track of every time you talk with someone.

CRM – Customer Relationship Management – is the system that you can use to capture all the data you have about your clients, your vendors, and your prospects. Typically it is a software program that you update every time you have a conversation with someone, or you sell them something. Depending on the data that is important to your business, you can customize the CRM system to give you up-to-the-minute reports on your target market and your existing clients.

The days of keeping business cards in a rolodex are vanishing. With all the affordable, entry-level CRM systems available today, there is every reason to get on the bandwagon and start making effective use of the information you collect on a daily basis. Even social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook can be valuable tools for getting your marketing message across to a managed group of prospects.

There are a multitude of CRM applications available. So how do you choose the right one? The important thing is to sit down and analyze what information is going to speed your sales process, your reporting, enhance your marketing initiative, and be easily shared by all those in your company who need to access the information. Start with your information needs, and then shop for a system that provides those needs. Too many companies attack CRM from the opposite direction. They purchase a product because someone recommended it, and then they try to make the product bend to their needs.

So take the time to analyze your needs and to learn more about CRM and what it can do for you. One of my favorite resources is CRMAdvocate, a daily e-newsletter that really has its finger on the pulse of this ever changing industry. It’s a good jumping-off point for any business that wants to improve their results.

The age of the rolodex may be over, but the handshake is still important. Make sure you’re up to speed on your customers and your relationships with them so that each time you meet, you’re ready to provide solutions to their needs. Because relationships are the essence of winning in business.

Are you ready to win?

Your Relationship to Sales

“Nobody is a natural. You work hard to get good and then work hard to get better.” – George Halas, Legendary Chicago bears Football Coach

I just got off the phone with someone who wanted tips on how to raise money for a non-profit organization through…telemarketing. The mere thought of someone calling me during dinner makes me cringe, and I admit, I am not the most receptive or pleasant person when I get those calls. Why? It’s an intrusion. It’s someone I don’t know who got my number and is trying to sell me something I never expressed a need for. It’s everything we hate about sales.

At Possibilities Unlimited, we train people to examine their relationship to sales. Sales should be a process of problem solving. We sell our product to people who need to solve a particular concern. There will always be someone who needs your product, the key is to find that person and focus your sales efforts where you fill a need. Don’t try to sell handbags to people who need paper supplies. I’m not saying you won’t ever sell a handbag, but your chances of success are much greater if you sell to people who want handbags. And your relationship to this concept of helping people solve problems will strengthen your confidence to sell.

Back to my telemarketing friend. When she first spoke to me she had no specifics about what she needed or what her organization was about. She was calling people in desperation, trying to get them to donate. Her relationship to the situation was one of begging, and she understood her calls were an intrusion.

First, I advised her to seek other ways to raise money that might have more bang for the buck. But as for her phone pitch, I explained that she needed to change her relationship to the situation and be ready to tell the benefits. She needed to be specific about how much money she needed to raise and by when. And she needed to tell people why they were being called. She was calling people in a group of neighborhoods raise money for programs for at-risk teens. The goal is to keep kids occupied after school and teach them work ethics skills. The benefit for her “customers” is a safer, more productive community with less crime. She defined a specific fundraising goal, and is now able to tell people what their donation will buy in the way of putting kids through the program.

By changing her relationship to the sales process, she is now equipped to confidently speak to people who can support her. She can solve a problem for the community. She understands her relationship to sales and is ready to win the game.

Are you ready to win?

Coaching for a Proactive Business

"I learn teaching from teachers. I learn golf from golfers. I learn winning from coaches." -- Harvey Penick

There are millions of people worldwide that dive into the excitement of entrepreneurship. It is a powerful feeling to have your own business that you control and grow based on your hard work and ingenuity. It seems though that entrepreneurship is synonymous with long hours, hard work and almost no vacation.

Business owners who are successful find themselves with a quickly-growing enterprise that does not give much opportunity for proactive activities. Instead, there is a flurry of fires to be put out as each action is a reaction to the business that needs to get done.

How can you create a business that is proactive instead of a daily fire drill?
This is the $1 million question that every entrepreneur would love to know the answer to. A business coach can provide the solution to having your cake and eating it too. But how would a business coach help you with your dream? Business coaches focus on helping you achieve baby steps. In weekly coaching sessions you identify specific problems or areas of concern, and the coach helps you develop strategies to overcome these issues.

What kinds of problems can be resolved?
Any problem that effects the efficiency, productivity and profit of your business can be helped by a business coach. For example, at Landau Design we had many issues tracking our sales leads and making sure we followed up in a timely fashion. We attempted to managed this information through Outlook, but still pieces were getting lost in the cracks. We put white boards up in our office, but they got smeared and weren't usually up to date. We tried a CRM, but this did not allow us to assign quotes duties and client meetings at the level of detail desired.

How are solutions found?
We brought our concerns to the Possibilities Unlimited team and together we discussed the details of our problem. By working with them each week, we devised a system for managing leads through a project management system. Before talking to our coach we had not considered a lead a project, and it never would have occurred to us to use this tool, but once the solution was found, it made perfect sense. Each week of using the system we discussed and refined our implementation, and within a couple months we had an effective lead management tool which kept us abreast of every single lead, quote and pending contract on our docket.

But how does that make my company proactive?
Before putting in our lead tracking system, we dropped balls. Customers would call asking for quotes, and we weren't always sure what stage they were in. So then we would all scramble around, hold an impromptu meeting, and try to put the pieces together. Meanwhile the client did not get an answer when they called, and instead we had to call them back. We were reacting in a panicked fashion because we were not organized. Now we get email notifications when a quote is complete, and the client is usually called before they call us. We do not have panicked responses, and instead we can focus on quality customer service instead of stressed-out responses.

How long does it take for a coach to help my business?
There really is no set amount of time for working with a coach. As long as you want to grow your business, a coach will be of value to you. As an objective pair of eyes, with extensive experience in business development, a business coach can help you see paths that you may never realize on your own. So while you might want emergency coaching for a specific challenge, to truly grow a successful business, a coach is a key player.